Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gadillari Has More Haunted Discoveries and Family Secrets To Dig Up, An Interview (Part One)

Haunted Discoveries stands out as a series which focuses on history moreso than others in this genre, and it’s a welcome change than the the usual ghost-hunting spectacle offered in broadcasting these days.

Haunted Discoveries Main
Also available to view on YouTube via SnootaTV

When travelling the byways and highways of Kentucky and Illinois to the northeastern seaboard, there are plenty of places to check out in Haunted Discoveries. Interest in the paranormal developed differently for Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gadillari. For the latter, it wasn’t until he was 18 that he started looking for answers.

“I started delving into the history of our family home, and I learned some things about the previous resident; it all confirmed what we were experiencing,” said Gadillari, “Ever since then, I was hooked. I joined a local team, did some investigations, and eventually went hardcore. I later became part of Ghost Hunters, where I met Brandon.”

Alvis’ route was different. While the two share a similar ethos in why they investigate, they chose to focus on what matters most to them rather than becoming just another paranormal reality show. He didn’t go into detail about the incident that started it all, but he did say he’s been studying the field for over 20 years. His ongoing work as the founder of the American Paranormal Research Association speaks for itself. With experience as a filmmaker, director, and editor, what they’ve built shows control and intent rather than chaos. As he explained, “It’s been a lot of fun to look at history through the paranormal angle and understand that what happened before us still echoes into our time.”

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Is There Gold To Be Found With Kayara, A Peruvian Animated Film?

A rare animated look at the Incan world, Kayara blends a familiar coming-of-age structure with a thoughtful historical lens. The result is an engaging adventure about identity, resilience, and a civilization fighting to preserve its spirit.

Kayara Movie PosterThe ancient Incan world is fascinating not only because of where it existed within the cosmos, but also because, as a mountain community, the way its people communicated between villages is worth examining too. While there are plenty of scholarly publications on the subject, seeing that world brought to life through animation is incredibly rare. Now there’s Kayara, the latest entry to deliver not only a strong coming-of-age tale, but also a historical glimpse into this culture’s past.

My first exposure to this world came through The Mysterious Cities of Gold; I don’t count The Emperor’s New Groove, since it’s more sitcom-oriented than folklore-driven. While The Road to El Dorado is more about the arrival of the Spaniards, I still wanted to know more. Thanks to Shout! Studios’ commitment to bringing world animation to their growing catalogue of releases, I was pleased to check out Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon (review), made by Peruvian animation studio Tunche Films, and their next work proves just as enlightening.

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What’s Next for Light Chaser Animation in 2026?

While international audiences wait, Light Chaser Animation is quietly building a Lord of the Rings-scale adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms alongside a new Water Margin film.

Light Chaser Animation Studios Logo For those living outside of China, no, Light Chaser Animation Studio isn’t resting. Instead, they have two films slated for release this year. While international audiences are still waiting for wider access to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (2025), local coverage suggests they are planning even more ambitious storytelling. The executives aren’t especially concerned about global reach, knowing that domestic success remains the priority.

When their next project is a large-scale animated adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in three parts, it’s safe to say they have Lord of the Rings-scale ambitions. The first entry, often referred to in domestic coverage as Three Kingdoms Part One: Struggle for Luoyang, is currently in production and targeting a summer 2026 theatrical release in China. The film is positioned as the opening chapter in a longer narrative arc, centred on the collapse of the Eastern Han dynasty and the power struggles that followed. Visually, the style echoes Chang’an.

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Star Light, Star Bright: Is Elizabeth Taylor Rebel Superstar a True Delight?

A thoughtful three-part primer on Elizabeth Taylor Rebel Superstar that spotlights the studio system’s control, her hard-won agency, and the legacy she forged beyond scandal, including her later advocacy and Live Aid appearance.

Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar promo card, BBC documentaryPassion Pictures
Coming to Hollywood Suite Dec 26th

At long last, the BBC documentary Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar is turning up on additional distribution channels. Not only does it offer a revealing look at the old studio system, it also delivers a fitting examination of Taylor’s life. Not everyone today understands how that system functioned, and I appreciate this work for acting as both a reminder and an introduction to how things once worked. Although she hit the scene years after Chaplin and the true Golden Age, she endured through its twilight and well into the Silver Age.

One detail that truly hits a nerve is how young performers were treated. They were expected to “perform” whenever required and were handled as commodities rather than people. While this exploitation predated the case of Jackie Coogan, whose earnings were famously squandered, the documentary makes clear that the damage took many forms.

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Honouring Hanna-Barbera. On Why This Legacy Still Resonates.

Before cable and streaming divided our attention, Hanna-Barbera defined what weekend cartoons meant. From Huckleberry Hound to The Powerpuff Girls, their legacy shaped every generation of animators to follow — and it still ripples through today’s toons.

The Hanna-Barbera Treasury Hardcover
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Before streaming and before cable carved up the weekend, one studio defined TV animation. As a lifelong fan, it’s bittersweet to see Hanna-Barbera living on mostly through MeTV than in the mainstream. Their influence on the toons we see today like Wylde Park and Oh My God… Yes! still colours everything we watch. The fact their name is not forgotten says it all.

While some of their vast catalogue of toons do not stand the test of time, others do. I tried watching The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan again recently and ouch. The same can be said with Hong Kong Phooey. They used stereoteypes that would not be tolerated today. That said, Top Cat is beloved and actually holds up. But as for others, it’s based on personal taste.

The Golden Age

When Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera launched their independent studio in 1957, they reshaped how animation could work on television. Their cost-saving “limited animation” approach made series economically viable without sacrificing character or charm. The Ruff and Reddy Show led the charge, but it was Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw that cemented the formula. The true breakthrough arrived with The Flintstones—a primetime sitcom that proved cartoons weren’t just for kids. When it became a live-action movie, we all knew why it was done: to reignite interest among adults rather than make new fans.

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Chasing Shadows: The Hunt for Ghosts from Curiosity to Credibility (Part Two)

From Crookes’s laboratory séances to Harry Price’s haunted investigations, explore how the hunt for ghosts evolved from curiosity to credibility—and what it reveals about the living.

The Hunt for Ghosts is OnWhen people today venture into haunted houses with cameras, EMF meters, and recorders, they’re unknowingly continuing a tradition that began over a century ago. The hunt for ghosts may look modern, but its roots trace back to figures more grounded and genuine than many of today’s TV personalities—people like John Zaffis and Jason Hawes, who carry a lineage that reaches further back to scholars and spiritualists. There was no such thing as a paranormal pop star then; there were only those who genuinely wanted to understand and not trick a generation.

Yet the modern scene rarely mentions the foundations laid by Sir William Crookes and Harry Price. Today’s investigators might name-drop Edison or Tesla for their “ghost phone” and “spirit radio”—devices meant to pull voices from the aether—but communication is more than asking for a yes or no.

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